Riga, Latvia, on the River Daugava

With a population of some 700,000+ people, Riga is the largest city of the three Baltic countries, and has the cosmopolitan feel to match the status. Once the favored sun-and-beach destination for the Soviet elite descending upon the nearby beach resort village of Jurmala, Riga now attracts both business opportunities and young partiers from Europe, a particularly favored spot for British stag parties. This is perhaps a fitting new era for a city founded some 900 years prior by an odd combination of traders, mercenaries and missionaries.

In addition to a pretty and colorful old town, Riga is particularly striking for its extensive German Art Nouveau architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage Site deemed unparalleled anywhere else in the world.